Breaking Down Virginia's Transfer Portal Priorities and Roster Needs

What are the Cavaliers' biggest priorities in the transfer portal?

Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics

In just a few short weeks, Virginia went from having one of the most experienced rosters in all of college basketball to barely being able to put starting five on the court. 

Some of the departures were expected: Kihei Clark, Jayden Gardner, and Ben Vander Plas had exhausted their eligibility and Francisco Caffaro made it clear before the end of the season that he would not be returning and the redshirt senior ultimately became the first Cavalier to enter the transfer portal. Unsurprisingly, Virginia's early transfer portal activity placed an emphasis on finding pieces to replace the holes left in the front court, as the Cavaliers made contact with almost exclusively forwards and centers in the portal in the first week after the season ended. Those efforts only intensified as Isaac Traudt and Kadin Shedrick joined Caffaro in the transfer portal. 

Then, UVA's portal activity began to expand to include all five positions, indicating that the Virginia coaching staff was anticipating more departures. Sure enough, last week saw both Reece Beekman and Armaan Franklin declare for the 2023 NBA Draft. Suddenly, Virginia had lost its entire starting five and a total of eight scholarship players from the 2022-2023 roster. 

In summary, here are the changes to Virginia's roster as it currently stands:

Losses: PG Kihei Clark (graduated), PF Jayden Gardner (graduated), PF/C Ben Vander Plas (graduated), SF Armaan Franklin (declared for draft, not maintaining eligibility), PG Reece Beekman (declared for draft, maintaining eligibility), C Kadin Shedrick (transfer portal), C Francisco Caffaro (transfer portal), PF Isaac Traudt (transferred to Creighton)

Returning: PG Dante Harris (55 career games played at Georgetown), SG Isaac McKneely (33 career games played), F Ryan Dunn (31 career games played), SG Taine Murray (32 career games played), F Leon Bond III (0 career games played)

Additions: PF/C Blake Buchanan, G Elijah Gertrude

With that in mind, here is a breakdown of Virginia's transfer portal priorities by position based on the needs of the roster:

1. starting-caliber center
2. starting-caliber or backup point guard
3. forward or wing
4. backup center
5. forward or wing

Virginia's most urgent need in the transfer portal is a center who is able to come in and start right away. With the current makeup of the roster, the Cavaliers would be starting either the 6'8" Ryan Dunn or incoming freshman Blake Buchanan as their starting center. While UVA fans can and should be excited about Buchanan's future, it's highly unlikely that Tony Bennett will be starting a true freshman at center, so expect the Cavaliers to go after a transfer who can come into the program and start at center right away. 

UVA made a move during the season to plan for Kihei Clark's departure, bringing in Georgetown point guard Dante Harris as a mid-season transfer back in December. Harris redshirted the rest of the season and has three years of eligibility remaining. The 6'0" point guard played in 55 games over two seasons with the Hoyas and was named the MVP of the 2021 Big East Tournament as a freshman, so he was a very solid pickup for the UVA coaching staff, who undoubtedly expected him to serve as the secondary point guard to Reece Beekman next season. With Beekman testing the waters in the NBA, leaving Virginia uncertain as to whether he will return next year, Dante Harris is now left as not only the starting primary point guard, but the only natural point guard on the roster - Isaac McKneely and Elijah Gertrude are combo guards who can handle the ball if needed, but they are not natural point guards. After securing a starting-caliber center, Virginia's next biggest priority is to bring in a point guard. Depending on the talent and experience level of that transfer, he can either take over as the starter or slot in next to Dante Harris as the secondary point guard or come off the bench. Either way, UVA will need a point guard and preferably one who can shoot from the perimeter, as the biggest weakness in the otherwise solid game of Dante Harris is that he is a career 26.8% three-point shooter. 

With the losses of Ben Vander Plas and Jayden Gardner and Isaac Traudt headed to Creighton, Virginia finds itself very light on bodies in the front court, as Ryan Dunn is the only player left on the UVA roster with the size to play down low. Expect UVA to get at least one player capable of occupying the 'four' or power forward spot along with Ryan Dunn. A starting center is the No. 1 priority, but the Cavaliers could also look to get another center for depth depending on how ready the coaching staff believes Blake Buchanan will be to contribute on day one. 

With Armaan Franklin declaring tor the NBA Draft, UVA will also be in need of more depth at the wing/small forward positions. Leon Bond III and Taine Murray have the size to step into that role, but are still lacking in experience. Franklin was Virginia's second-best three-point shooter at 37.3% last season and the Cavaliers would preferably like to have a reliable shooter as his replacement. Murray shot 34.8% from beyond the arc as a true freshman, but made only two threes (on only 12 attempts) this season as his playing time was severely limited. It's unclear how much Bond will be able to contribute in the area of perimeter shooting in his first season actually playing. 

More than anything, the Cavaliers just need bodies at this point. At this moment, Virginia is only filling seven of its maximum allotment of 13 scholarship spots next season. Regardless of position, UVA needs players, but preferably players with experience, athleticism, and scoring and shooting skills. Virginia is losing 91.4% of its scoring from last season (if Beekman doesn't return) and its entire roster has a combined 77 career games played in a UVA uniform between Isaac McKneely, Ryan Dunn, and Taine Murray. McKneely was the team's best three-point shooter at 39.2%, but the next three best shooters on the team are all gone. 

Of course, Tony Bennett and his staff will be looking first and foremost for student athletes who fit the character mold of the UVA men's basketball program and its five pillars. Given Virginia's extensive list of roster needs, it will be a fun ride to see who among the hundreds of players in the transfer portal will become the newest Cavaliers over the next several weeks. 

Keep track of all of Virginia's movement in the transfer portal here: Virginia Basketball Transfer Portal Updates

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